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New Moon in Tinne July 8, 2013 by Sarah Fuhro

The battle between the Oak King and the Holly King continues with this new cycle of the Moon.

Duir (Oak) is the Moon of the Summer Solstice, when the Sun at his height is wounded by the Holly King and begins his journey into the dark half of the year. He will meet his nemesis again at the time of the Winter Solstice and regain his crown.

This Moon we celebrate Holly (Tinne) the new and triumphant monarch of these long hot days of summer in the Northern Hemisphere. Holly blooms in July and Holly means Holy for it became associated with the Christian story of Christ and John the Baptist. June 24th became St. John’s day and the winter solstice celebrates the arrival of Jesus on the 25th of December. Holly with its red berries becomes the decoration of the Winter Solstice when the triumph of the Oak King over the Holly King welcomes the return of the Sun. The two kings (Oak and Holly) are celebrated back to back in June and July Moon journeys.

July 8 at 3:14 am the Moon in her most powerful sign of Cancer will begin the next journey. Mercury, the messenger who will report on the couple’s adventures in the water element, accompanies Sun and Moon on their honeymoon. Mercury is in retrograde, which may give him the wit to speak, but perhaps not in the words of everyday speech. Our own intuition may reflect this poetic and intuitive moment. If we have pen and paper nearby at 3:14 am perhaps we can catch a dream or an insight from Mercury’s inspiration.

Saturn turns direct a few hours earlier. He is still in a water trine with Neptune and Jupiter. These three powerful planets spin in a watery triangulation, which allows all of us to become lyrical and intuitive, compassionate and open to our deepest emotions. Saturn likes boundaries and differentiation, while Neptune reminds us of our unity with all there is. Jupiter in watery Cancer expands our knowledge of this sign with the Moon’s message that change never ceases. If we watch the Moon’s cycle over the year we begin to internalize that message of continuous flux and flow.

Cancer is noted for sensitivity, like the crab with his tender interior, supported by his hard shell. When looked at carefully we see that Cancer’s sensitivity is more than armored defense, but can become the art of vulnerability. This is the season when the crab sheds her shell in order to expand her growth. Painful experience, when acknowledged and accepted becomes the prelude to a new phase in life. Cancer is associated with the home and family, the basic support system. For a family to be supportive rather than constricting there has to be an acknowledgment of vulnerability, and a safe circle of love to allow for the transformation.

Cancer is also noted for ‘moodiness.’ This allows us to see how many of us there are internally—to accept the contradictions in our feelings moment by moment and to learn to slowly balance our response to events that approach and challenge our sense of self. We can eventually watch the cycle of emotions in the same way we watch the Moon. We can feel the wonder and mystery without the need to identify with each turn of the wheel.

The Sabian Symbol for this New Moon celebrates the abundant growth all around us that has grown from the dark ground. There is always a seed in the New Moon which we cannot imagine will sprout and blossom in the way it does. Our birth charts are that seed as well.

Keeping our Ancient Wisdom Alive
The Wisdom Tradition evolved over the centuries to address our deepest human needs.
Sarah Fuhro is a practitioner of its many forms; including Astrology, Tarot, Flower
Essences and Druidry. In addition to personal consultations, Sarah teaches workshops
and private classes, offering both clients and students knowledge powerfully rooted
in the past, presented in the language of the present. To learn more, please visit
www.sarahfuhro.com.